Language, Thought And Communication

Language Thought and Communication Psychology

Language and thought are similar concepts. Thought is similar to an internal monologue that isn't expressed out loud and can be based on what we are thinking or feeling, whereas language is we construct our thoughts and feelings verbally or non-verbally, which we express.

The Use of Language in Communication

Language is a tool used in communication to tell others information and express our thoughts. It is often used to help people understand our thoughts and to get insight from others, and this allows us to get a deeper understanding of an idea or to help others get a deeper understanding of the information being exchanged.

How we communicate is not always dependent on verbal language. There are also non-verbal types of communication. These can be used independently or alongside language to get out point across to others.

Common types of non-verbal communication are:

• Eye contact - to understand what someone is trying to express through eye contact, we need to look at the context. For instance, if you're on a train being loud with your friends, others may make eye contact because they are trying to signal that they are annoyed.
• Body language - how we present our body can often express how we think or feel. If someone slouches, they may feel anxious and think about what is making them uneasy.
• Personal space - usually, when you are talking to someone, there is an unspoken boundary; this is the physical distance you maintain when talking. If this is violated, then it usually makes people feel uncomfortable; this usually occurs in instances such as fights.

Differences Between Human and Animal Communication

Generally, humans use language to communicate abstract and complex ideas, whereas animals use different methods to communicate less complicated thoughts. Animals may communicate about may concern potential threats, whether they are available for mating or telling others the locations of food sources.

The study highlights how although humans and animals may communicate similar things, the purpose may differ, as well as the method. For example, we may tell our friends the best food places to go. Bees need to find a good food source for their survival. Our purpose is more for leisure.

We use different methods to communicate. Humans may communicate via messages directly to one another, whereas bees dance.

Aitchison's (1983) criteria of language

Initially, Hockett (1960) identified 16 language features. Aitchinson later (1983) identified four features specific to humans only.

The four criterions relative to humans only are:

• Displacement - we can exchange information about abstract and complex things that are not relative to the current time or situation.
• Structure dependence - we follow specific rules, e.g. if something doesn't make grammatical sense, others may not understand what we're trying to say: "The man throws a ball," is different to "The ball throws a man," despite the same words being used.
• Semanticity - the meaning of words and symbols rather than how they sound is used to make sense of what someone is trying to communicate, of which these symbols are understood by others.
• Creativity - humans have an endless number of ways and words that can be used to say what they are thinking.

Some examples of the features of language that are shared in humans and animals are:

• Using vocal-auditory channels - both use sound, gesture and body language to communicate.
• Language is learned - humans and animals both learn language; however, they learn it in different ways.
• Turn-taking - animals and humans both take turns to communicate.
• Duality - how we communicate needs to be presented in a meaningful way

Animals do not use displacement or creativity in their communication techniques.

Relationship between language communication and thought

From the definition of language, thought, and communication, we can understand that language is often used as a tool to express the thoughts that we wish to communicate to others. However, researchers have proposed different theories to explain the relationship between language, thought and communication.

Often people use the expression you should think before you talk; this suggests that thought is important before communicating as it can lead to misunderstandings, freepik.com/storyset.

Language thought and communication: Cultural differences

Boroditsky (2001) proposed that each language has its way of processing cognitive abilities. Each language uses different ways to make sense of various things, such as time, verbs, space and metaphors.

People from other countries will struggle to understand it is a metaphor if they are not familiar with the phrase.

Another example of cultural differences in language is...

Boroditsky (2001) investigated how native English and Mandarin speakers thought about time differently.

The study involved using priming, a technique used to influence others to think in a certain way to think of time as horizontally or vertically.

English speakers responded faster to time questions if primed horizontally compared to vertically, and Mandarin speakers answered time questions more quickly if primed vertically when answering 'earlier or later' phrased questions. People who spoke Mandarin showed no significant difference when primed horizontally or vertically.

To conclude the study, language is culturally dependent and affects our thoughts and how we understand things.

Piaget's Theory of Language Development

Piaget suggested that children experience several stages of cognitive development. Piaget argued that how well a child develops depends on schemas rather than language, but language is essential.

Piaget proposed that children's linguistic abilities depend on which stage of cognitive development they are in.

Piaget's theory suggests that thought precedes language, and language is not always dependent on thought; e.g. children imitating sounds does not usually involve thought. However, when a child is trying to voice their demands, such as when they are hungry, there is some thought before the communication.

Piaget argued that language develops as children go through the stages of cognitive development, freepik.com/vectorjuice.

Vygotsky's Theory of Language

In comparison to Piaget, Vygotsky highlighted the importance of language. Vygotsky argues that our learning and development result from social interactions and culture. Language allows more knowledgeable others (MKO) to communicate new concepts and knowledge that aid children's development. The theory suggests that language is not only used when socially interacting with others but also when thinking independently.

Vygotsky described three forms of language children go through during development:

1. Social (external) Speech
2. Egocentric Speech
3. Inner Speech

According to Vygotsky, children first say their thoughts aloud. Eventually, this disappears and turns into inner speech.

The influence of language on thoughts

Vygotsky's theory on the different types of speech can help us understand the influence of language on thoughts. The theory suggests that people initially have both pre-linguistic thoughts and pre-intellectual language.

An example may help to understand the two different types of thoughts!

The two concepts suggest that there is an interchangeable relationship between the two. The one we rely heavily on depends on what stage of development we are in.